The Far Side Gallery 1, by Gary Larson

Reading this book is likely to be a very familiar experience for readers, especially those readers who have read previous far side collections which have then been combined into this one. As someone who has read and reviewed a good deal of material on the Far Side [1], there is little I can say about this collection that I have not said several time before about the collections that make it up. If you are looking for a coffee table book that says that you are a funny and quirky person who has an offbeat sense of humor, this book and the other galleries (of which there are many) in this collection will certainly say that. There are lots of oddball people and quirky animals and references to sci fi culture and alternative history to be found here, and it is good for many laughs and smiles. With a fondness for ironic reversals and picturing the moment where disaster in a situation is inevitable but has not yet happened, these books were a staple of my youth and are easy to appreciate and recommend for others as well, even if they are familiar to those who have read smaller collections from “The Far Side,” “Beyond The Far Side,” and “In Search Of The Far Side,” from which this collection is drawn.

[1] See, for example:

Book Review: Wildlife Preserves: A Fair Side Collection

Book Review: It Came From The Far Side

Book Review: Valley Of The Far Side

Book Review: Bride Of The Far Side

Book Review: Night Of The Crash-Test Dummies: A Far Side Collection